Metamaterial based power amplifier module

ABSTRACT

A power amplifier module can be formed that includes metamaterial matching circuits. This power amplifier module can be included as part of a front-end module of a wireless device. The front-end module can replace a passive duplexer with an active duplexer that uses the power amplifier module in combination with a low noise amplifier circuit that can include a metamaterial matching circuit. The combination of PA and LNA circuits that utilize metamaterials can provide the functionality of a duplexer without including a stand-alone or passive duplexer. Thus, in certain cases, the front-end module can provide duplexer functionality without including a separate duplexer. Advantageously, in certain cases, the size of the front-end module can be reduced by eliminating the passive duplexer. Further, the loss introduced into the signal path by the passive duplexer is eliminated improving the performance of the communication system that includes the active duplexer.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/939,486, which was filed on Nov. 22, 2019 and is titled “ACTIVEDUPLEXER,” the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated byreference herein in its entirety for all purposes. Further, thisapplication is being filed on Nov. 18, 2020, the same date as U.S.application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. SKYWRKS.985A1), whichis titled “ACTIVE DUPLEXER” and is hereby expressly incorporated byreference herein in its entirety for all purposes. Any and allapplications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim isidentified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

Embodiments of this disclosure relate to duplexers.

Description of the Related Art

Duplexers are typically three-port devices that enable the sharing of asingle antenna. A transmitter may provide a signal to the duplexer,which may then output the signal to the antenna for transmission.Similarly, a signal received by the antenna may be provided to theduplexer, which may then output the signal to a receiver for furtherprocessing. The duplexer may isolate the transmitter from the receiverand vice versa enabling the sharing of the antenna and preventing a pathfrom existing between the transmitter and the receiver.

SUMMARY

The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have severalinnovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for theall of the desirable attributes disclosed herein. Details of one or moreimplementations of the subject matter described in this specificationare set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to an active duplexer.The active duplexer may include a power amplifier circuit configured toamplify a first signal of a first frequency to obtain a first amplifiedsignal and to provide the first amplified signal to an antenna. Thepower amplifier circuit may include a metamaterial output matchingcircuit. Further, the active duplexer may include a low noise amplifiercircuit configured to amplify a second signal of a second frequencyreceived from the antenna to obtain a second amplified signal and toprovide the second amplified signal to a subsequent circuit element. Thelow noise amplifier circuit may include a metamaterial input matchingcircuit. Further, the power amplifier circuit and the low noiseamplifier circuit may form a duplexer without the inclusion of a passiveduplexer circuit.

In some implementations, the subsequent circuit is a transceiver.Further, an impedance between the metamaterial output matching circuitand the antenna is at a first impedance value when signals of the firstfrequency are received by the power amplifier circuit and at a secondimpedance value when signals of the second frequency are received by thepower amplifier circuit. Moreover, the first impedance value may permitprocessing of the signals of the first frequency by the power amplifiercircuit and the second impedance value may block processing of thesignals of the second frequency by the power amplifier circuit. Incertain cases, an impedance between the metamaterial input matchingcircuit and the antenna is at the second impedance value when signals ofthe first frequency are received by the low noise amplifier circuit andat the first impedance value when signals of the second frequency arereceived by the low noise amplifier circuit. Further, the firstimpedance value may permit processing of the signals of the secondfrequency by the low noise amplifier circuit and the second impedancevalue may block processing of the signals of the first frequency by thelow noise amplifier circuit.

In some cases, the first frequency is within a first frequency band thepower amplifier circuit is configured to amplify and the secondfrequency is within a second frequency band the low noise amplifiercircuit is configured to amplify. The power amplifier circuit mayfurther include a non-metamaterial input matching circuit. The low noiseamplifier circuit may further include a non-metamaterial output matchingcircuit. The metamaterial output matching circuit or the metamaterialinput matching circuit can include a material with periodic structure.Moreover, the metamaterial output matching circuit or the metamaterialinput matching circuit can include a lumped element circuit. Inaddition, the metamaterial output matching circuit or the metamaterialinput matching circuit can include a metamaterial transmission line. Themetamaterial output matching circuit or the metamaterial input matchingcircuit can include a dual-band single stub matching circuit.

Yet other aspects of the present disclosure relate to a front-endmodule. The front-end module may include an active duplexer that caninclude a power amplifier circuit and a low noise amplifier circuit. Thepower amplifier circuit may be configured to amplify a first signal of afirst frequency to obtain a first amplified signal and to provide thefirst amplified signal to an antenna. The power amplifier circuit mayinclude a metamaterial output matching circuit. The low noise amplifiercircuit may be configured to amplify a second signal of a secondfrequency received from the antenna to obtain a second amplified signaland to provide the second amplified signal to a subsequent circuitelement. The low noise amplifier circuit may include a metamaterialinput matching circuit. A combination of the power amplifier circuit andthe low noise amplifier circuit may be configured to function as aduplexer without the inclusion of a passive duplexer circuit. Further,the front-end module may include a switching circuit configured toswitch between the power amplifier circuit and the low noise amplifiercircuit.

In some implementations, the subsequent circuit element is the switchingcircuit. Further, an impedance between the metamaterial output matchingcircuit and the antenna may be at a first impedance value when signalsof the first frequency are received by the power amplifier circuit andat a second impedance value when signals of the second frequency arereceived by the power amplifier circuit. Moreover, an impedance betweenthe metamaterial input matching circuit and the antenna may be at thesecond impedance value when signals of the first frequency are receivedby the low noise amplifier circuit and at the first impedance value whensignals of the second frequency are received by the low noise amplifiercircuit. The first impedance value may permit processing of the signalsof the first frequency at the power amplifier circuit and signals of thesecond frequency at the low noise amplifier circuit, and the secondimpedance value may prevent processing of the signals of the secondfrequency at the power amplifier circuit and signals of the firstfrequency at the low noise amplifier circuit. In some cases, the poweramplifier circuit further includes a non-metamaterial input matchingcircuit and the low noise amplifier circuit further includes anon-metamaterial output matching circuit.

Further aspects of the present disclosure relate to a wireless device.The wireless device may include an antenna and an active duplexer. Theantenna may be configured to receive or transmit signals of differentfrequencies. The active duplexer may include a power amplifier circuitand a low noise amplifier circuit. The power amplifier circuit may beconfigured to amplify a first signal of a first frequency to obtain afirst amplified signal and to provide the first amplified signal to theantenna. The power amplifier circuit may include a metamaterial outputmatching circuit. Further, the low noise amplifier circuit may beconfigured to amplify a second signal of a second frequency receivedfrom the antenna to obtain a second amplified signal and to provide thesecond amplified signal to a subsequent circuit element. The low noiseamplifier circuit may include a metamaterial input matching circuit. Acombination of the power amplifier circuit and the low noise amplifiercircuit may be configured to function as a duplexer without theinclusion of a passive duplexer circuit.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a poweramplifier module. The power amplifier module may include one or morepower amplifier transistors configured to amplify a first signal of afirst frequency to obtain a first amplified signal. Further, the poweramplifier module may include a metamaterial output matching circuitconnected between the one or more power amplifier transistors and anantenna. The metamaterial output matching circuit may be configured topresent a first impedance value to the antenna when receiving signals ofthe first frequency and to present a second impedance value to theantenna when receiving signals of a second frequency.

In some implementations, the metamaterial output matching circuitincludes a metamaterial transmission line. Further, the metamaterialoutput matching circuit may include a first metamaterial transmissionline connected between a transistor of the one or more power amplifiertransistors and the antenna, and a second metamaterial transmission lineconnected to the first metamaterial transmission line as a stub. In somecases, the power amplifier module further includes a non-metamaterialinput matching circuit. The non-metamaterial input matching circuit mayinclude a first non-metamaterial transmission line connected between atransistor of the one or more power amplifier transistors and an inputport, and a second non-metamaterial transmission line connected to thefirst non-metamaterial transmission line as a stub.

In some embodiments, the metamaterial output matching circuit includes amaterial with a periodic structure. Further, the metamaterial outputmatching circuit may include a lumped element circuit. The firstimpedance value may permit transmission of the first amplified signal tothe antenna. Further, the second impedance value may preventtransmission of the signals of the second frequency to the antenna.Moreover, in some cases, the power amplifier module in combination witha low noise amplifier circuit that includes a metamaterial inputmatching circuit forms a duplexer. Further, the duplexer may be formedwithout the inclusion of a passive duplexer circuit.

Yet additional aspects of the present disclosure are directed to afront-end module. The front-end module may include a power amplifiermodule that can include a power amplifier transistor and a metamaterialoutput matching circuit connected between the power amplifier transistorand an antenna. The power amplifier transistor may be configured toamplify a first signal of a first frequency to obtain a first amplifiedsignal. Further, the metamaterial output matching circuit may beconfigured to present a first impedance value to the antenna whenreceiving signals of the first frequency and to present a secondimpedance value to the antenna when receiving signals of a secondfrequency. The front-end module may further include a switching circuitconfigured to switch a signal path between the power amplifier moduleand a low noise amplifier circuit.

In certain implementations, the metamaterial output matching circuitincludes a first metamaterial transmission line connected between thepower amplifier transistor and the antenna, and a second metamaterialtransmission line connected to the first metamaterial transmission lineas a stub. Further, the power amplifier module may include anon-metamaterial input matching circuit. In some cases, thenon-metamaterial input matching circuit may include a firstnon-metamaterial transmission line connected between the power amplifiertransistor and an input port of the power amplifier module, and a secondnon-metamaterial transmission line connected to the firstnon-metamaterial transmission line as a stub. The metamaterial outputmatching circuit may include at least one of a material with a periodicstructure or a lumped element circuit. Further, the first impedancevalue may permit transmission of the first amplified signal to theantenna and the second impedance value may prevent transmission of thesignals of the second frequency to the antenna. Moreover, the front-endmodule may include a low noise amplifier circuit that can include ametamaterial input matching circuit. In some cases, a combination of thepower amplifier module and the low noise amplifier circuit form aduplexer without the inclusion of separate duplexer circuitry.

Further aspects of the present disclosure relate to a wireless device.The wireless device may include an antenna and a power amplifier module.The antenna may be configured to receive or transmit signals ofdifferent frequencies. Further, the power amplifier module may include apower amplifier transistor and a metamaterial output matching circuitconnected between the power amplifier transistor and the antenna. Thepower amplifier transistor may be configured to amplify a first signalof a first frequency to obtain a first amplified signal. Further, themetamaterial output matching circuit may be configured to present afirst impedance value to the antenna when receiving signals of the firstfrequency and to present a second impedance value to the antenna whenreceiving signals of a second frequency. The power amplifier module incombination with a low noise amplifier circuit can form a duplexerwithout the inclusion of separate duplexer circuitry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicatecorrespondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided toillustrate embodiments of the inventive subject matter described hereinand not to limit the scope thereof.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication network.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication linkusing carrier aggregation.

FIG. 2B illustrates various examples of uplink carrier aggregation forthe communication link of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C illustrates various examples of downlink carrier aggregation forthe communication link of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of one example of a downlink channelusing multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communications.

FIG. 3B is schematic diagram of one example of an uplink channel usingMIMO communications.

FIG. 3C is schematic diagram of another example of an uplink channelusing MIMO communications.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of another example of a communicationnetwork.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of signalmodulation for a communication network.

FIG. 4C is a graph illustrating one example of an RF signal waveformversus time.

FIG. 4D is one example of a peak to average power ratio (PAPR)complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) for various cyclicprefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) waveformsrelative to a single carrier frequency division multiple access(SC-FDMA) reference waveform.

FIG. 4E is one example of a PAPR CCDF for various discrete Fouriertransformation-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(DFT-s-OFDM) waveforms relative to a SC-FDMA reference waveform and aquadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) CP-OFDM 20 megahertz (MHz)waveform.

FIG. 4F is a schematic diagram illustrating two examples of multipleaccess schemes for a communication network.

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication systemthat operates with beamforming.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to providea transmit beam.

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to providea receive beam.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a module thatoperates with beamforming.

FIG. 6B is a cross-section of the module of FIG. 6A taken along thelines 6B-6B.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device.

FIG. 8 is an example of antenna sharing using a passive duplexer.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example of an active duplexer inaccordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a more detailed block diagram of the example of the activeduplexer of FIG. 9 in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a transmission-line based example of theactive duplexer of FIG. 9 in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of an example metamaterial transmissionline included in certain aspects of the active duplexer of FIG. 11 inaccordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 presents simulation results for an example of the activeduplexer.

FIG. 14 presents graphs of simulation results for the low noiseamplifier of the active duplexer simulated in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 presents graphs of simulation results for the power amplifier ofthe active duplexer simulated in FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 presents graphs of simulation results for the active duplexersimulated in FIG. 13.

FIG. 17A illustrates creation of a double-negative (DNG) metamaterial inaccordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17B illustrates one example implementation of the DNG metamaterialof FIG. 17A.

FIG. 17C illustrates another example implementation of the DNGmetamaterial of FIG. 17A.

FIG. 18A illustrated a circuit diagram of a double-Lorentz (DL)metamaterial transmission line in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 18B illustrates an implementation of the circuit represented by thecircuit diagram of FIG. 18A in accordance with certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of certain embodiments presentsvarious descriptions of specific embodiments. However, the innovationsdescribed herein can be embodied in a multitude of different ways, forexample, as defined and covered by the claims. In this description,reference is made to the drawings where like reference numerals canindicate identical or functionally similar elements. It will beunderstood that elements illustrated in the figures are not necessarilydrawn to scale. Moreover, it will be understood that certain embodimentscan include more elements than illustrated in a drawing and/or a subsetof the elements illustrated in a drawing. Further, some embodiments canincorporate any suitable combination of features from two or moredrawings.

In this description, references to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” orthe like, mean that the particular feature, function, structure orcharacteristic being described is included in at least one embodiment ofthe technique introduced herein. Occurrences of such phrases in thisspecification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Onthe other hand, the embodiments referred to are also not necessarilymutually exclusive.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agencyof the United Nations (UN) responsible for global issues concerninginformation and communication technologies, including the shared globaluse of radio spectrum.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration betweengroups of telecommunications standard bodies across the world, such asthe Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), theTelecommunications Technology Committee (TTC), the China CommunicationsStandards Association (CCSA), the Alliance for TelecommunicationsIndustry Solutions (ATIS), the Telecommunications Technology Association(TTA), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), andthe Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI).

Working within the scope of the ITU, 3GPP develops and maintainstechnical specifications for a variety of mobile communicationtechnologies, including, for example, second generation (2G) technology(for instance, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) andEnhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)), third generation (3G)technology (for instance, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)), and fourth generation (4G)technology (for instance, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced).

The technical specifications controlled by 3GPP can be expanded andrevised by specification releases, which can span multiple years andspecify a breadth of new features and evolutions.

In one example, 3GPP introduced carrier aggregation (CA) for LTE inRelease 10. Although initially introduced with two downlink carriers,3GPP expanded carrier aggregation in Release 14 to include up to fivedownlink carriers and up to three uplink carriers. Other examples of newfeatures and evolutions provided by 3GPP releases include, but are notlimited to, License Assisted Access (LAA), enhanced LAA (eLAA),Narrowband Internet of things (NB-IOT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), andHigh Power User Equipment (HPUE).

3GPP introduced Phase 1 of fifth generation (5G) technology in Release15, and plans to introduce Phase 2 of 5G technology in Release 16(targeted for 2019). Subsequent 3GPP releases will further evolve andexpand 5G technology. 5G technology is also referred to herein as 5G NewRadio (NR).

5G NR supports or plans to support a variety of features, such ascommunications over millimeter wave spectrum, beamforming capability,high spectral efficiency waveforms, low latency communications, multipleradio numerology, and/or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). Althoughsuch RF functionalities offer flexibility to networks and enhance userdata rates, supporting such features can pose a number of technicalchallenges.

The techniques herein are applicable to a wide variety of communicationsystems, including, but not limited to, communication systems usingadvanced cellular technologies, such as LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro,and/or 5G NR.

INTRODUCTION

Some devices that communicate wirelessly may have multiple antennas.Further, some wireless devices may communicate over different frequencybands. In some such devices, one antenna may be used to transmit signalsof a first frequency or first frequency band, and another antenna may beused to receive signals of a second frequency or second frequency band.The use of multiple antennas can use up valuable space on a wirelessdevice. Further, interference may be caused by signals being receivedand/or transmitted by different antennas on the wireless device.

One solution is to reduce the number of antennas by using a duplexer.The duplexer enables a transmitter and receiver to share an antenna. Aduplexer may separate a transmitted signal and a received signal intotwo separate routing or communication paths within a wireless device. Aduplexer is often made from passive devices and may be referred to as a“passive duplexer.”

FIG. 8 is an example of antenna sharing using a passive duplexer. Asillustrated in FIG. 8, a portion of a wireless device 800 may include anantenna 802 configured to transmit signals of a first frequency, f₁, mayreceive the signals from a power amplifier 804. Further, an antenna 806configured to receive signals of a second frequency, f₂, may provide thesignals to a low noise amplifier 808. The power amplifier 804 and thelow noise amplifier 808 may be included in a front-end module and/or atransceiver.

The illustrated portion of the wireless device 800 may be replaced by aportion of a wireless device 810. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the power ofthe wireless device 810 may combine the antennas 802, 806 into a singleantenna 812. The antenna 812 may both transmit signals of a frequency f₁and receive signals of a frequency f₂. To prevent signals from the poweramplifier 804 being provided to the low noise amplifier 808 and/orsignals received from the antenna 812 being provided to the poweramplifier 804 instead of the low noise amplifier 808, the wirelessdevice 810 may include a passive duplexer 814. As with the poweramplifier 804 and the low noise amplifier 808, the passive duplexer 814may be included in a front-end module and/or a transceiver. Thefront-end module and/or transceiver may be connected to the antenna 812.

The inclusion of a passive duplexer may increase the size of thefront-end module. Further, the passive duplexer may introduce loss intothe signal path, which may degrade the performance of the communicationsystem (e.g., the front-end module, transceiver, or other componentswithin the communication path of the communication system) of a wirelessdevice.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure replace the passive duplexerwith an active duplexer that uses metamaterial matching circuits. Theactive duplexer can be formed from a power amplifier circuit and a lownoise amplifier circuit that each include a metamaterial matchingcircuit. The combination of a power amplifier circuit and a low noiseamplifier circuit that each utilize metamaterials to form the associatedmatching circuit provide the functionality of a duplexer withoutincluding the additional circuitry of a stand-alone or passive duplexer.In other words, in certain cases, the front-end module can provideduplexer functionality without including a separate duplexer.Advantageously, in certain cases, the size of the front-end module canbe reduced by eliminating the passive duplexer. Further, the lossintroduced into the signal path by the passive duplexer is eliminatedimproving the performance of the communication system that includes theactive duplexer.

Example Communication Network

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication network10. The communication network 10 includes a macro cell base station 1, asmall cell base station 3, and various examples of user equipment (UE),including a first mobile device 2 a, a wireless-connected car 2 b, alaptop 2 c, a stationary wireless device 2 d, a wireless-connected train2 e, a second mobile device 2 f, and a third mobile device 2 g.

Although specific examples of base stations and user equipment areillustrated in FIG. 1, a communication network can include base stationsand user equipment of a wide variety of types and/or numbers.

For instance, in the example shown, the communication network 10includes the macro cell base station 1 and the small cell base station3. The small cell base station 3 can operate with relatively lowerpower, shorter range, and/or with fewer concurrent users relative to themacro cell base station 1. The small cell base station 3 can also bereferred to as a femtocell, a picocell, or a microcell. Although thecommunication network 10 is illustrated as including two base stations,the communication network 10 can be implemented to include more or fewerbase stations and/or base stations of other types.

Although various examples of user equipment are shown, the techniquesherein are applicable to a wide variety of user equipment, including,but not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices,wearable electronics, customer premises equipment (CPE),wireless-connected vehicles, wireless relays, and/or a wide variety ofother communication devices. Furthermore, user equipment includes notonly currently available communication devices that operate in acellular network, but also subsequently developed communication devicesthat will be readily implementable with the inventive systems,processes, methods, and devices as described and claimed herein.

The illustrated communication network 10 of FIG. 1 supportscommunications using a variety of cellular technologies, including, forexample, 4G LTE and 5G NR. In certain implementations, the communicationnetwork 10 is further adapted to provide a wireless local area network(WLAN), such as WiFi. Although various examples of communicationtechnologies have been provided, the communication network 10 can beadapted to support a wide variety of communication technologies.

Various communication links of the communication network 10 have beendepicted in FIG. 1. The communication links can be duplexed in a widevariety of ways, including, for example, using frequency-divisionduplexing (FDD) and/or time-division duplexing (TDD). FDD is a type ofradio frequency communications that uses different frequencies fortransmitting and receiving signals. FDD can provide a number ofadvantages, such as high data rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD isa type of radio frequency communications that uses about the samefrequency for transmitting and receiving signals, and in which transmitand receive communications are switched in time. TDD can provide anumber of advantages, such as efficient use of spectrum and variableallocation of throughput between transmit and receive directions.

In certain implementations, user equipment can communicate with a basestation using one or more of 4G LTE, 5G NR, and WiFi technologies. Incertain implementations, enhanced license assisted access (eLAA) is usedto aggregate one or more licensed frequency carriers (for instance,licensed 4G LTE and/or 5G NR frequencies), with one or more unlicensedcarriers (for instance, unlicensed WiFi frequencies).

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication links include not onlycommunication links between UE and base stations, but also UE to UEcommunications and base station to base station communications. Forexample, the communication network 10 can be implemented to supportself-fronthaul and/or self-backhaul (for instance, as between mobiledevice 2 g and mobile device 2 f).

The communication links can operate over a wide variety of frequencies.In certain implementations, communications are supported using 5G NRtechnology over one or more frequency bands that are less than 6Gigahertz (GHz) and/or over one or more frequency bands that are greaterthan 6 GHz. For example, the communication links can serve FrequencyRange 1 (FR1), Frequency Range 2 (FR2), or a combination thereof. In oneembodiment, one or more of the mobile devices support a HPUE power classspecification.

In certain implementations, a base station and/or user equipmentcommunicates using beamforming. For example, beamforming can be used tofocus signal strength to overcome path losses, such as high lossassociated with communicating over high signal frequencies. In certainembodiments, user equipment, such as one or more mobile phones,communicate using beamforming on millimeter wave frequency bands in therange of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and/or upper centimeter wave frequencies inthe range of 6 GHz to 30 GHz, or more particularly, 24 GHz to 30 GHz.

Different users of the communication network 10 can share availablenetwork resources, such as available frequency spectrum, in a widevariety of ways.

In one example, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) is used todivide a frequency band into multiple frequency carriers. Additionally,one or more carriers are allocated to a particular user. Examples ofFDMA include, but are not limited to, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) andorthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDMA is a multicarrier technology thatsubdivides the available bandwidth into multiple mutually orthogonalnarrowband subcarriers, which can be separately assigned to differentusers.

Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to, timedivision multiple access (TDMA) in which a user is allocated particulartime slots for using a frequency resource, code division multiple access(CDMA) in which a frequency resource is shared amongst different usersby assigning each user a unique code, space-divisional multiple access(SDMA) in which beamforming is used to provide shared access by spatialdivision, and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in which the powerdomain is used for multiple access. For example, NOMA can be used toserve multiple users at the same frequency, time, and/or code, but withdifferent power levels.

Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) refers to technology for growing systemcapacity of LTE networks. For example, eMBB can refer to communicationswith a peak data rate of at least 10 Gbps and a minimum of 100 Mbps foreach user. Ultra-reliable low latency communications (uRLLC) refers totechnology for communication with very low latency, for instance, lessthan 2 milliseconds. uRLLC can be used for mission-criticalcommunications such as for autonomous driving and/or remote surgeryapplications. Massive machine-type communications (mMTC) refers to lowcost and low data rate communications associated with wirelessconnections to everyday objects, such as those associated with Internetof Things (IoT) applications.

The communication network 10 of FIG. 1 can be used to support a widevariety of advanced communication features, including, but not limitedto, eMBB, uRLLC, and/or mMTC.

Example Carrier Aggregation Communication Link

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication linkusing carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation can be used to widenbandwidth of the communication link by supporting communications overmultiple frequency carriers, thereby increasing user data rates andenhancing network capacity by utilizing fragmented spectrum allocations.

In the illustrated example, the communication link is provided between abase station 21 and a mobile device 22. As shown in FIG. 2A, thecommunications link includes a downlink channel used for RFcommunications from the base station 21 to the mobile device 22, and anuplink channel used for RF communications from the mobile device 22 tothe base station 21.

Although FIG. 2A illustrates carrier aggregation in the context of FDDcommunications, carrier aggregation can also be used for TDDcommunications.

In certain implementations, a communication link can provideasymmetrical data rates for a downlink channel and an uplink channel.For example, a communication link can be used to support a relativelyhigh downlink data rate to enable high speed streaming of multimediacontent to a mobile device, while providing a relatively slower datarate for uploading data from the mobile device to the cloud.

In the illustrated example, the base station 21 and the mobile device 22communicate via carrier aggregation, which can be used to selectivelyincrease bandwidth of the communication link. Carrier aggregationincludes contiguous aggregation, in which contiguous carriers within thesame operating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation canalso be non-contiguous, and can include carriers separated in frequencywithin a common band or in different bands.

In the example shown in FIG. 2A, the uplink channel includes threeaggregated component carriers f_(UL1), f_(UL2), and f_(UL3).Additionally, the downlink channel includes five aggregated componentcarriers f_(DL1), f_(DL2), f_(DL3), f_(DL4), and f_(DL5). Although oneexample of component carrier aggregation is shown, more or fewercarriers can be aggregated for uplink and/or downlink. Moreover, anumber of aggregated carriers can be varied over time to achieve desireduplink and downlink data rates.

For example, a number of aggregated carriers for uplink and/or downlinkcommunications with respect to a particular mobile device can changeover time. For example, the number of aggregated carriers can change asthe device moves through the communication network and/or as networkusage changes over time.

FIG. 2B illustrates various examples of uplink carrier aggregation forthe communication link of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B includes a first carrieraggregation scenario 31, a second carrier aggregation scenario 32, and athird carrier aggregation scenario 33, which schematically depict threetypes of carrier aggregation.

The carrier aggregation scenarios 31-33 illustrate different spectrumallocations for a first component carrier f_(UL1), a second componentcarrier f_(UL2), and a third component carrier f_(UL3). Although FIG. 2Bis illustrated in the context of aggregating three component carriers,carrier aggregation can be used to aggregate more or fewer carriers.Moreover, although illustrated in the context of uplink, the aggregationscenarios are also applicable to downlink.

The first carrier aggregation scenario 31 illustrates intra-bandcontiguous carrier aggregation, in which component carriers that areadjacent in frequency and in a common frequency band are aggregated. Forexample, the first carrier aggregation scenario 31 depicts aggregationof component carriers f_(UL1), f_(UL2), and f_(UL3) that are contiguousand located within a first frequency band BAND1.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2B, the second carrier aggregationscenario 32 illustrates intra-band non-continuous carrier aggregation,in which two or more components carriers that are non-adjacent infrequency and within a common frequency band are aggregated. Forexample, the second carrier aggregation scenario 32 depicts aggregationof component carriers f_(UL1), f_(UL2), and f_(UL3) that arenon-contiguous, but located within a first frequency band BAND1.

The third carrier aggregation scenario 33 illustrates inter-bandnon-contiguous carrier aggregation, in which component carriers that arenon-adjacent in frequency and in multiple frequency bands areaggregated. For example, the third carrier aggregation scenario 33depicts aggregation of component carriers f_(UL1) and f_(UL2) of a firstfrequency band BAND1 with component carrier f_(UL3) of a secondfrequency band BAND2.

FIG. 2C illustrates various examples of downlink carrier aggregation forthe communication link of FIG. 2A. The examples depict various carrieraggregation scenarios 34-38 for different spectrum allocations of afirst component carrier f_(DL1), a second component carrier f_(DL2), athird component carrier f_(DL3), a fourth component carrier f_(DL4), anda fifth component carrier f_(DL5). Although FIG. 2C is illustrated inthe context of aggregating five component carriers, carrier aggregationcan be used to aggregate more or fewer carriers. Moreover, althoughillustrated in the context of downlink, the aggregation scenarios arealso applicable to uplink.

The first carrier aggregation scenario 34 depicts aggregation ofcomponent carriers that are contiguous and located within the samefrequency band. Additionally, the second carrier aggregation scenario 35and the third carrier aggregation scenario 36 illustrates two examplesof aggregation that are non-contiguous, but located within the samefrequency band. Furthermore, the fourth carrier aggregation scenario 37and the fifth carrier aggregation scenario 38 illustrates two examplesof aggregation in which component carriers that are non-adjacent infrequency and in multiple frequency bands are aggregated. As a number ofaggregated component carriers increases, a complexity of possiblecarrier aggregation scenarios also increases.

With reference to FIGS. 2A-2C, the individual component carriers used incarrier aggregation can be of a variety of frequencies, including, forexample, frequency carriers in the same band or in multiple bands.Additionally, carrier aggregation is applicable to implementations inwhich the individual component carriers are of about the same bandwidthas well as to implementations in which the individual component carriershave different bandwidths.

Certain communication networks allocate a particular user device with aprimary component carrier (PCC) or anchor carrier for uplink and a PCCfor downlink. Additionally, when the mobile device communicates using asingle frequency carrier for uplink or downlink, the user devicecommunicates using the PCC. To enhance bandwidth for uplinkcommunications, the uplink PCC can be aggregated with one or more uplinksecondary component carriers (SCCs). Additionally, to enhance bandwidthfor downlink communications, the downlink PCC can be aggregated with oneor more downlink SCCs.

In certain implementations, a communication network provides a networkcell for each component carrier. Additionally, a primary cell canoperate using a PCC, while a secondary cell can operate using a SCC. Theprimary and secondary cells may have different coverage areas, forinstance, due to differences in frequencies of carriers and/or networkenvironment.

License assisted access (LAA) refers to downlink carrier aggregation inwhich a licensed frequency carrier associated with a mobile operator isaggregated with a frequency carrier in unlicensed spectrum, such asWiFi. LAA employs a downlink PCC in the licensed spectrum that carriescontrol and signaling information associated with the communicationlink, while unlicensed spectrum is aggregated for wider downlinkbandwidth when available. LAA can operate with dynamic adjustment ofsecondary carriers to avoid WiFi users and/or to coexist with WiFiusers. Enhanced license assisted access (eLAA) refers to an evolution ofLAA that aggregates licensed and unlicensed spectrum for both downlinkand uplink.

Example MIMO Communication

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of one example of a downlink channelusing multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communications. FIG. 3B isschematic diagram of one example of an uplink channel using MIMOcommunications.

MIMO communications use multiple antennas for simultaneouslycommunicating multiple data streams over common frequency spectrum. Incertain implementations, the data streams operate with differentreference signals to enhance data reception at the receiver. MIMOcommunications benefit from higher SNR, improved coding, and/or reducedsignal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences of the radioenvironment.

MIMO order refers to a number of separate data streams sent or received.For instance, MIMO order for downlink communications can be described bya number of transmit antennas of a base station and a number of receiveantennas for UE, such as a mobile device. For example, two-by-two (2×2)DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communications using two base stationantennas and two UE antennas. Additionally, four-by-four (4×4) DL MIMOrefers to MIMO downlink communications using four base station antennasand four UE antennas.

In the example shown in FIG. 3A, downlink MIMO communications areprovided by transmitting using M antennas 43 a, 43 b, 43 c, . . . 43 mof the base station 41 and receiving using N antennas 44 a, 44 b, 44 c,. . . 44 n of the mobile device 42. Accordingly, FIG. 3A illustrates anexample of m×n DL MIMO.

Likewise, MIMO order for uplink communications can be described by anumber of transmit antennas of UE, such as a mobile device, and a numberof receive antennas of a base station. For example, 2×2 UL MIMO refersto MIMO uplink communications using two UE antennas and two base stationantennas. Additionally, 4×4 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communicationsusing four UE antennas and four base station antennas.

In the example shown in FIG. 3B, uplink MIMO communications are providedby transmitting using N antennas 44 a, 44 b, 44 c, . . . 44 n of themobile device 42 and receiving using M antennas 43 a, 43 b, 43 c, . . .43 m of the base station 41. Accordingly, FIG. 3B illustrates an exampleof n×m UL MIMO.

By increasing the level or order of MIMO, bandwidth of an uplink channeland/or a downlink channel can be increased.

MIMO communications are applicable to communication links of a varietyof types, such as FDD communication links and TDD communication links.

FIG. 3C is schematic diagram of another example of an uplink channelusing MIMO communications. In the example shown in FIG. 3C, uplink MIMOcommunications are provided by transmitting using N antennas 44 a, 44 b,44 c, . . . 44 n of the mobile device 42. Additional a first portion ofthe uplink transmissions are received using M antennas 43 a 1, 43 b 1,43 c 1, . . . 43 m 1 of a first base station 41 a, while a secondportion of the uplink transmissions are received using M antennas 43 a2, 43 b 2, 43 c 2, . . . 43 m 2 of a second base station 41 b.Additionally, the first base station 41 a and the second base station 41b communication with one another over wired, optical, and/or wirelesslinks.

The MIMO scenario of FIG. 3C illustrates an example in which multiplebase stations cooperate to facilitate MIMO communications.

Second Example Communication Network

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of another example of a communicationnetwork 70. The communication network 70 includes a base station 41 andvarious mobile devices 61-63. The base station 51 serves a land area orcell 60. Additionally, the mobile devices 61-63 are located in differentlocations of the cell 60 associated with different distances to the basestation 51.

Although one example of a communication network is shown, otherconfigurations are possible, including, for example, communicationnetworks with other numbers and/or types of user devices and/or basestations.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of signalmodulation for a communication network, such as the communicationnetwork 70 of FIG. 4A.

Various constellation diagrams are depicted in FIG. 4B, including aquadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) constellation diagram 71, a 16quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellation diagram 72, a 64 QAMconstellation diagram 73, a 256 QAM constellation diagram 74, and a 1024QAM constellation diagram 75.

The constellation diagrams 71-75 each illustrate a complex planeincluding possible symbols that can be selected for the associatedmodulation scheme.

For example, QPSK modulation includes four symbols, each correspondingto one of four carrier phase shifts (for instance, 0°, 90°, 180°, or270°). QPSK can be used to carry 2 bits per symbol.

QAM modulation includes symbols having different proportions ofquadrature carrier signals. For example, by changing the amplitudes ofan in-phase carrier signal (for instance, a sine carrier wave) relativeto a quadrature-phase carrier signal (for instance, a cosine carrierwave) different symbols can be achieved.

The number of symbols and bits per symbol changes with an order or levelof QAM modulation. For example, 16 QAM includes 16 symbols, with 4 bitsper symbol. Additionally, 64 QAM includes 64 symbols, with 6 bits persymbol. Furthermore, 256 QAM includes 256 symbols, with 8 bits persymbol. Additionally, 1024 QAM includes 1024 symbols, with 10 bits persymbol.

QPSK and QAM illustrate examples of modulation formats suitable for 5Gcommunication systems. However, other types of modulation formats arepossible, including, but not limited to, a wide variety of modulationformats employing frequency-shift keying (FSK), amplitude-shift keying(ASK), and/or phase-shift keying (PSK).

Advanced cellular technologies, such as LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G NR,employ complex modulation schemes to increase a number of bits persymbol or data density. By using complex modulation schemes, spectralefficiency can be increased.

Certain communication systems dynamically control modulation (forinstance, a modulation format and/or level of modulation) based on aquality of a communication link.

For example, it can be difficult to receive a signal with accuracy whenSNR is relatively low. Thus, as a number of symbols in a constellationincreases, it can become increasing more difficult to determine whichsymbol has been communicated. Accordingly, certain communication systemsdynamical control modulation based on SNR.

SNR is a function of a variety of factors, such as radio environment,proximity to sources of signal interference or noise, and/or quality orperformance of the communication systems transmitting and receiving overthe communication link.

With reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the mobile devices 61-63 are atvarying distances from the base station 51. Additionally, the firstmobile device 61 operates with a higher SNR than the second mobiledevice 62, which in turn operates with higher SNR than the third mobiledevice 63, in this example.

In certain implementations, a selected modulation format for uplinkand/or downlink can be dynamically adjusted or changed based on SNR.

For instance, in the example illustrated in FIG. 4A, the first mobiledevice 61 with high SNR communicates with 1024 QAM for DL and 256 QAMfor UL. Additionally, the second mobile device 61 with moderate SNRcommunicates with 64 QAM for DL and 16 QAM for UL, and the third mobiledevice 63 with low SNR communicates with QPSK for UL and DL. As themobile device 61-63 move throughout the cell 60, modulation can bedynamically adapted based on SNR.

Although one specific example of modulation formats and levels forvarious mobile devices are shown, other modulation formats and/or levelsare possible.

UE for advanced cellular technologies include multiple antennas forcommunications. In certain implementations, a mobile device thatsupports MIMO communications can also be used for switched diversitycommunications. In contrast to MIMO in which multiple antennas aresimultaneously used for communication, switched diversity refers tocommunications in which a particular antenna is selected for operationat a particular time. For example, a switch can be used to select aparticular antenna from a group of antennas based on a variety offactors, such as an observed bit error rate and/or a signal strengthindicator.

In certain communication networks, MIMO is used when SNR is relativelyhigh, and switched diversity is used when SNR is relatively low. Forexample, when a mobile device is relatively close to a base station,MIMO communications can be used to increase data rate. Additionally,when the mobile device is relatively far from the base station, switcheddiversity can be used to improve SNR. Moreover, when MIMO communicationsare being used, an order of MIMO for uplink and/or downlink can changebased on SNR. Thus, a mobile device including multiple antennas candynamically change between MIMO communications (including an order ofMIMO used) and switched diversity communications based on radioenvironment.

For instance, in the example illustrated in FIG. 4A, the first mobiledevice 61 with high SNR communicates with 8×8 DL MIMO and 4×4 UL MIMO.Additionally, the second mobile device 61 with moderate SNR communicateswith 4×4 DL MIMO and 2×2 UL MIMO, and the third mobile device 63 withlow SNR communicates with switched diversity for both DL and UL. As themobile device 61-63 move throughout the cell 60, the antenna usage canbe dynamically adapted or changed based on SNR.

Although one specific example of multiple antenna control for variousmobile devices is shown, other examples are possible.

FIG. 4C is a graph illustrating one example of an RF signal waveformversus time. The graph depicts the RF signal waveform, the envelope ofthe RF signal, the average signal power, and the peak signal power. Thepeak to average power ratio (PAPR) or crest factor of the RF signalwaveform corresponds to the ratio of the waveform's peak signal power tothe waveform's average signal power.

FIG. 4D is one example of a PAPR complementary cumulative distributionfunction (CCDF) for various cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (CP-OFDM) waveforms relative to a single carrier frequencydivision multiple access (SC-FDMA) reference waveform.

As shown in FIG. 4D, the PAPR CCDF is shown for a variety of modulationorders and bandwidths of CP-OFDM 5G NR waveforms. For the examplewaveforms shown, higher order modulations and wider signal bandwidthdoes not substantially increase PAPR, but rather the CP-OFDM waveformshave similar PAPR to one another.

When comparing 5G NR CP-OFDM waveforms to the reference LTE SC-FDMA QPSKwaveform it can be seen that the 5G NR waveforms exhibit higher PAPR ofabout 3 dB or more. The higher PAPR raises a linearity constraint for apower amplifier. Moreover, for UE operating at a cell edge and/or withpoor SNR, higher PAPR can constrain output power and/or increase batterycurrent.

FIG. 4E is one example of a PAPR CCDF for various discrete Fouriertransformation-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(DFT-s-OFDM) waveforms relative to a SC-FDMA reference waveform and aQPSK CP-OFDM 20 MHz waveform.

As shown in FIG. 4E, the PAPR CCDF is shown for a variety of modulationorder and bandwidths of CP-OFDM 5G NR waveforms, with or withoutspectral shaping. The QPSK DFT-s-OFDM 20 MHz waveform without shapinghas similar PAPR behavior as the reference LTE SC-FDMA QPSK waveform.

As shown by a comparison of FIGS. 4D and 4E, the DFT-s-OFDM waveforms ofFIG. 4E operate with lower PAPR relative to the CP-OFDM waveforms ofFIG. 4D. In certain implementations half pi (PI/2) binary phase shiftkeying (BPSK) and/or spectral shaping techniques can be used to reducePAPR. For instance, for the examples shown, spectral shaping techniquesselectively enable 2 dB PAPR improvement for QPSK and 5 dB improvementfor PI/2 BPSK DFT-s-OFDM waveforms when compared to the reference LTEsignal.

FIG. 4F is a schematic diagram illustrating two examples of multipleaccess schemes for a communication network. Examples of frequency versusvoltage versus time for OFDMA and SC-FDMA are depicted in FIG. 4F.

The examples are shown for an illustrated transmit sequence of differentQPSK modulating data symbols, in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4F,SC-FDMA includes data symbols occupying greater bandwidth (N*B KHz,where N=4 in this example) relative to OFDMA data symbols (B KHz).However, the SC-FDMA data symbols occupy the greater bandwidth for afraction of time (1/N) relative to that of the OFDMA data symbols. FIG.4F has also been annotated to show times of transmitting a cyclic prefix(CP).

Example Beamforming Communication System

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication system110 that operates with beamforming. The communication system 110includes a transceiver 105, signal conditioning circuits 104 a 1, 104 a2 . . . 104 an, 104 b 1, 104 b 2 . . . 104 bn, 104 m 1, 104 m 2 . . .104 mn, and an antenna array 102 that includes antenna elements 103 a 1,103 a 2 . . . 103 an, 103 b 1, 103 b 2 . . . 103 bn, 103 m 1, 103 m 2 .. . 103 mn.

Communications systems that communicate using millimeter wave carriers(for instance, 30 GHz to 300 GHz), centimeter wave carriers (forinstance, 3 GHz to 30 GHz), and/or other frequency carriers can employan antenna array to provide beam formation and directivity fortransmission and/or reception of signals.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the communication system 110includes an array 102 of m×n antenna elements, which are each controlledby a separate signal conditioning circuit, in this embodiment. Asindicated by the ellipses, the communication system 110 can beimplemented with any suitable number of antenna elements and signalconditioning circuits.

With respect to signal transmission, the signal conditioning circuitscan provide transmit signals to the antenna array 102 such that signalsradiated from the antenna elements combine using constructive anddestructive interference to generate an aggregate transmit signalexhibiting beam-like qualities with more signal strength propagating ina given direction away from the antenna array 102.

In the context of signal reception, the signal conditioning circuitsprocess the received signals (for instance, by separately controllingreceived signal phases) such that more signal energy is received whenthe signal is arriving at the antenna array 102 from a particulardirection. Accordingly, the communication system 110 also providesdirectivity for reception of signals.

The relative concentration of signal energy into a transmit beam or areceive beam can be enhanced by increasing the size of the array. Forexample, with more signal energy focused into a transmit beam, thesignal is able to propagate for a longer range while providingsufficient signal level for RF communications. For instance, a signalwith a large proportion of signal energy focused into the transmit beamcan exhibit high effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP).

In the illustrated embodiment, the transceiver 105 provides transmitsignals to the signal conditioning circuits and processes signalsreceived from the signal conditioning circuits. As shown in FIG. 5A, thetransceiver 105 generates control signals for the signal conditioningcircuits. The control signals can be used for a variety of functions,such as controlling the gain and phase of transmitted and/or receivedsignals to control beamforming.

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to providea transmit beam. FIG. 5B illustrates a portion of a communication systemincluding a first signal conditioning circuit 114 a, a second signalconditioning circuit 114 b, a first antenna element 113 a, and a secondantenna element 113 b.

Although illustrated as included two antenna elements and two signalconditioning circuits, a communication system can include additionalantenna elements and/or signal conditioning circuits. For example, FIG.5B illustrates one embodiment of a portion of the communication system110 of FIG. 5A.

The first signal conditioning circuit 114 a includes a first phaseshifter 130 a, a first power amplifier 131 a, a first low noiseamplifier (LNA) 132 a, and switches for controlling selection of thepower amplifier 131 a or LNA 132 a. Additionally, the second signalconditioning circuit 114 b includes a second phase shifter 130 b, asecond power amplifier 131 b, a second LNA 132 b, and switches forcontrolling selection of the power amplifier 131 b or LNA 132 b.

Although one embodiment of signal conditioning circuits is shown, otherimplementations of signal conditioning circuits are possible. Forinstance, in one example, a signal conditioning circuit includes one ormore band filters, duplexers, and/or other components.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first antenna element 113 a and thesecond antenna element 113 b are separated by a distance d.Additionally, FIG. 5B has been annotated with an angle ⊖, which in thisexample has a value of about 90° when the transmit beam direction issubstantially perpendicular to a plane of the antenna array and a valueof about 0° when the transmit beam direction is substantially parallelto the plane of the antenna array.

By controlling the relative phase of the transmit signals provided tothe antenna elements 113 a, 113 b, a desired transmit beam angle ⊖ canbe achieved. For example, when the first phase shifter 130 a has areference value of 0°, the second phase shifter 130 b can be controlledto provide a phase shift of about −2πf(d/v)cos ⊖ radians, where f is thefundamental frequency of the transmit signal, d is the distance betweenthe antenna elements, v is the velocity of the radiated wave, and π isthe mathematic constant pi.

In certain implementations, the distance d is implemented to be about½λ, where λ is the wavelength of the fundamental component of thetransmit signal. In such implementations, the second phase shifter 130 bcan be controlled to provide a phase shift of about −π cos ⊖ radians toachieve a transmit beam angle ⊖.

Accordingly, the relative phase of the phase shifters 130 a, 130 b canbe controlled to provide transmit beamforming. In certainimplementations, a baseband processor and/or a transceiver (for example,the transceiver 105 of FIG. 5A) controls phase values of one or morephase shifters and gain values of one or more controllable amplifiers tocontrol beamforming.

FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of one example of beamforming to providea receive beam. FIG. 5C is similar to FIG. 5B, except that FIG. 5Cillustrates beamforming in the context of a receive beam rather than atransmit beam.

As shown in FIG. 5C, a relative phase difference between the first phaseshifter 130 a and the second phase shifter 130 b can be selected toabout equal to −2πf(d/v)cos ⊖ radians to achieve a desired receive beamangle ⊖. In implementations in which the distance d corresponds to about½λ, the phase difference can be selected to about equal to −π cos ⊖radians to achieve a receive beam angle ⊖.

Although various equations for phase values to provide beamforming havebeen provided, other phase selection values are possible, such as phasevalues selected based on implementation of an antenna array,implementation of signal conditioning circuits, and/or a radioenvironment.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a module 140 thatoperates with beamforming. FIG. 6B is a cross-section of the module 140of FIG. 6A taken along the lines 6B-6B.

The module 140 includes a laminated substrate or laminate 141, asemiconductor die or IC 142 (not visible in FIG. 6A), surface mountdevices (SMDs) 143 (not visible in FIG. 6A), and an antenna arrayincluding antenna elements 151 a 1, 151 a 2, 151 a 3 . . . 151 an, 151 b1, 151 b 2, 151 b 3 . . . 151 bn, 151 c 1, 151 c 2, 151 c 3 . . . 151cn, 151 m 1, 151 m 2, 151 m 3 . . . 151 mn.

Although one embodiment of a module is shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, theteachings herein are applicable to modules implemented in a wide varietyof ways. For example, a module can include a different arrangement ofand/or number of antenna elements, dies, and/or surface mount devices.Additionally, the module 140 can include additional structures andcomponents including, but not limited to, encapsulation structures,shielding structures, and/or wirebonds.

The antenna elements antenna elements 151 a 1, 151 a 2, 151 a 3 . . .151 an, 151 b 1, 151 b 2, 151 b 3 . . . 151 bn, 151 c 1, 151 c 2, 151 c3 . . . 151 cn, 151 m 1, 151 m 2, 151 m 3 . . . 151 mn are formed on afirst surface of the laminate 141, and can be used to receive and/ortransmit signals, based on implementation. Although a 4×4 array ofantenna elements is shown, more or fewer antenna elements are possibleas indicated by ellipses. Moreover, antenna elements can be arrayed inother patterns or configurations, including, for instance, arrays usingnon-uniform arrangements of antenna elements. Furthermore, in anotherembodiment, multiple antenna arrays are provided, such as separateantenna arrays for transmit and receive and/or for differentcommunication bands.

In the illustrated embodiment, the IC 142 is on a second surface of thelaminate 141 opposite the first surface. However, other implementationsare possible. In one example, the IC 142 is integrated internally to thelaminate 141.

In certain implementations, the IC 142 includes signal conditioningcircuits associated with the antenna elements 151 a 1, 151 a 2, 151 a 3. . . 151 an, 151 b 1, 151 b 2, 151 b 3 . . . 151 bn, 151 c 1, 151 c 2,151 c 3 . . . 151 cn, 151 m 1, 151 m 2, 151 m 3 . . . 151 mn. In oneembodiment, the IC 142 includes a serial interface, such as a mobileindustry processor interface radio frequency front-end (MIPI RFFE) busand/or inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus that receives data forcontrolling the signal conditioning circuits, such as the amount ofphase shifting provided by phase shifters. In another embodiment, the IC142 includes signal conditioning circuits associated with the antennaelements 151 a 1, 151 a 2, 151 a 3 . . . 151 an, 151 b 1, 151 b 2, 151 b3 . . . 151 bn, 151 c 1, 151 c 2, 151 c 3 . . . 151 cn, 151 m 1, 151 m2, 151 m 3 . . . 151 mn and an integrated transceiver.

The laminate 141 can include various structures including, for example,conductive layers, dielectric layers, and/or solder masks. The number oflayers, layer thicknesses, and materials used to form the layers can beselected based on a wide variety of factors, and can vary withapplication and/or implementation. The laminate 141 can include vias forproviding electrical connections to signal feeds and/or ground feeds ofthe antenna elements. For example, in certain implementations, vias canaid in providing electrical connections between signal conditioningcircuits of the IC 142 and corresponding antenna elements.

The antenna elements 151 a 1, 151 a 2, 151 a 3 . . . 151 an, 151 b 1,151 b 2, 151 b 3 . . . 151 bn, 151 c 1, 151 c 2, 151 c 3 . . . 151 cn,151 m 1, 151 m 2, 151 m 3 . . . 151 mn can correspond to antennaelements implemented in a wide variety of ways. In one example, thearray of antenna elements includes patch antenna element formed from apatterned conductive layer on the first side of the laminate 141, with aground plane formed using a conductive layer on opposing side of thelaminate 141 or internal to the laminate 141. Other examples of antennaelements include, but are not limited to, dipole antenna elements,ceramic resonators, stamped metal antennas, and/or laser directstructuring antennas.

The module 140 can be included in a communication system, such as amobile phone or base station. In one example, the module 140 is attachedto a phone board of a mobile phone.

Example Wireless Device

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a wireless device ora mobile device 700. The mobile device 700 includes a baseband system701, a transceiver 702, a front end system 703, antennas 704, a powermanagement system 705, a memory 706, a user interface 707, and a battery708.

The mobile device 700 can be used communicate using a wide variety ofcommunications technologies, including, but not limited to, 2G, 3G, 4G(including LTE, LTE-Advanced, and LTE-Advanced Pro), 5G NR, WLAN (forinstance, WiFi), WPAN (for instance, Bluetooth and ZigBee), WMAN (forinstance, WiMax), and/or GPS technologies.

The transceiver 702 generates RF signals for transmission and processesincoming RF signals received from the antennas 704. It will beunderstood that various functionalities associated with the transmissionand receiving of RF signals can be achieved by one or more componentsthat are collectively represented in FIG. 7 as the transceiver 702. Inone example, separate components (for instance, separate circuits ordies) can be provided for handling certain types of RF signals.

The front end system 703 aids in conditioning signals transmitted toand/or received from the antennas 704. In the illustrated embodiment,the front end system 703 includes antenna tuning circuitry 710, poweramplifiers (PAs) 711, low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 712, filters 713,switches 714, and signal splitting/combining circuitry 715. However,other implementations are possible.

For example, the front end system 703 can provide a number offunctionalities, including, but not limited to, amplifying signals fortransmission, amplifying received signals, filtering signals, switchingbetween different bands, switching between different power modes,switching between transmission and receiving modes, duplexing ofsignals, multiplexing of signals (for instance, diplexing ortriplexing), or some combination thereof.

In certain implementations, the mobile device 700 supports carrieraggregation, thereby providing flexibility to increase peak data rates.Carrier aggregation can be used for both Frequency Division Duplexing(FDD) and Time Division Duplexing (TDD), and may be used to aggregate aplurality of carriers or channels. Carrier aggregation includescontiguous aggregation, in which contiguous carriers within the sameoperating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation can also benon-contiguous, and can include carriers separated in frequency within acommon band or in different bands.

The antennas 704 can include antennas used for a wide variety of typesof communications. For example, the antennas 704 can include antennasfor transmitting and/or receiving signals associated with a wide varietyof frequencies and communications standards.

In certain implementations, the antennas 704 support MIMO communicationsand/or switched diversity communications. For example, MIMOcommunications use multiple antennas for communicating multiple datastreams over a single radio frequency channel. MIMO communicationsbenefit from higher signal to noise ratio, improved coding, and/orreduced signal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences ofthe radio environment. Switched diversity refers to communications inwhich a particular antenna is selected for operation at a particulartime. For example, a switch can be used to select a particular antennafrom a group of antennas based on a variety of factors, such as anobserved bit error rate and/or a signal strength indicator.

The mobile device 700 can operate with beamforming in certainimplementations. For example, the front end system 703 can includeamplifiers having controllable gain and phase shifters havingcontrollable phase to provide beam formation and directivity fortransmission and/or reception of signals using the antennas 704. Forexample, in the context of signal transmission, the amplitude and phasesof the transmit signals provided to the antennas 704 are controlled suchthat radiated signals from the antennas 704 combine using constructiveand destructive interference to generate an aggregate transmit signalexhibiting beam-like qualities with more signal strength propagating ina given direction. In the context of signal reception, the amplitude andphases are controlled such that more signal energy is received when thesignal is arriving to the antennas 704 from a particular direction. Incertain implementations, the antennas 704 include one or more arrays ofantenna elements to enhance beamforming.

The baseband system 701 is coupled to the user interface 707 tofacilitate processing of various user input and output (I/O), such asvoice and data. The baseband system 701 provides the transceiver 702with digital representations of transmit signals, which the transceiver702 processes to generate RF signals for transmission. The basebandsystem 701 also processes digital representations of received signalsprovided by the transceiver 702. As shown in FIG. 7, the baseband system701 is coupled to the memory 706 of facilitate operation of the mobiledevice 700.

The memory 706 can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such asstoring data and/or instructions to facilitate the operation of themobile device 700 and/or to provide storage of user information.

The power management system 705 provides a number of power managementfunctions of the mobile device 700. In certain implementations, thepower management system 705 includes a PA supply control circuit thatcontrols the supply voltages of the power amplifiers 711. For example,the power management system 705 can be configured to change the supplyvoltage(s) provided to one or more of the power amplifiers 711 toimprove efficiency, such as power added efficiency (PAE).

As shown in FIG. 7, the power management system 705 receives a batteryvoltage from the battery 708. The battery 708 can be any suitablebattery for use in the mobile device 700, including, for example, alithium-ion battery.

Example Active Duplexer

As previously described, wireless devices that support communicatingover multiple frequencies or frequency bands using a single antenna mayinclude a passive duplexer to direct signals along the appropriatesignal path (e.g., the signal path configured or designed to support thefrequency or frequency band of the signal). In some cases, the passiveduplexer is used to prevent a received signal from interfering with atransmit signal path and to prevent a transmit signal from interferingwith a receive signal path. However, the passive duplexer can introduceloss, and can increase the cost and size of a front-end module ortransceiver. The active duplexer described herein can reduce oreliminate the loss and increased cost and size of the front-end moduleand/or transceiver attributed to the passive duplexer.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example of a portion of a wirelessdevice 900 that includes an active duplexer 902 in accordance withcertain aspects of the present disclosure. The active duplexer 902 maydirect signals to or from a signal or communication path. For example,the active duplexer 902 may direct signals for transmission to theantenna 812. Similarly, the active duplexer 902 may direct receivedsignals that are received from the antenna 812 to a signal path withinthe wireless device 900 (e.g., to a front-end module or transceiver, orcomponents thereof).

The active duplexer 902 includes a power amplifier 904 configured toamplify or process signals for transmission associated with a firstfrequency, or frequency band, f₁. Further, the active duplexer 902includes a low noise amplifier 906 configured to amplify or processreceived signals that are received by the antenna 812 and that areassociated with a second frequency or frequency band, f₂. As isdescribed in more detail below, the power amplifier 904 and the lownoise amplifier 906 may each include one or more input/output matchingcircuits. As least one of the matching circuits may be implemented usingmetamaterials.

The use of metamaterials enables the matching circuits to permit certainfrequencies while blocking or preventing other frequencies from beingtransmitted along a signal path. Thus, for example, themetamaterial-based matching circuit of the power amplifier 904 maypermit the transmission of signals having the frequency (or being withinthe frequency band) f₁ while blocking or preventing transmission ofsignals having the frequency (or being within the frequency band) f₂.Continuing this example, the metamaterial-based matching circuit of thelow noise amplifier 906 may permit receipt of signals having thefrequency (or being within the frequency band) f₂ while blocking orpreventing receipt of signals having the frequency (or being within thefrequency band) f₁. Thus, the combination of the power amplifier 904incorporating the metamaterial matching circuit and the low noiseamplifier 906 incorporating the metamaterial matching circuit mayprovide the functionality of a duplexer (e.g., the passive duplexer 814)without the inclusion of the circuitry of the passive duplexer 814.Accordingly, certain aspects of the present disclosure provide thefunctionality of a duplexer while preventing or reducing loss attributedto the passive duplexer 814. Further, certain aspects of the presentdisclosure provide the functionality of a duplexer while reducing thesize and/or cost of the front-end module and/or transceiver attributedto the inclusion of a passive duplexer 814.

FIG. 10 is a more detailed block diagram of the example of the activeduplexer 900 of FIG. 9 in accordance with certain aspects of the presentdisclosure. As previously described, the power amplifier 904 may beconfigured to amplify signals of a frequency, or within a frequencyband, f₁. The power amplifier 904 may include amplifier circuitry 1002.This amplifier circuitry 1002 may include one or more transistorsconfigured to amplify a signal. Further, in some implementations, theamplifier circuitry 1002 may include a direct current biasing networkfor biasing the power amplifier, or one or more of the transistors ofthe power amplifier 904. The one or more transistors may be field-effecttransistors (FETs). Alternatively, the one or more transistors mayinclude any other type of transistor that may be used to form a poweramplifier, such as bipolar junction transistors.

In addition, the power amplifier 904 includes a metamaterial outputmatching circuit 1004 and an input matching circuit 1006. The inputmatching circuit 1006 may be configured to match an impedance of thepower amplifier 904 with an impedance of a circuit element connected tothe power amplifier 904 at the input of the power amplifier 904 (e.g.,port 1018). Further, the input matching circuit 1006 can include anytype of non-metamaterial matching circuit. For example, the inputmatching circuit 1006 may include a switch-capacitor based matchingcircuit, an inductor-capacitor (LC) matching circuit, or any other typeof matching circuit. Further, in some cases, the input matching circuit1006 may be replaced with a metamaterial matching circuit.

The metamaterial output matching circuit 1004 may be configured to matchan impedance of the power amplifier 904 to an impedance of the antenna812 (not shown) or to an impedance at the port 1014, which may beconnected via a signal path to the antenna 812. The metamaterial outputmatching circuit 1004 may be configured to match the impedance at aparticular frequency, or frequency band, f₁ corresponding to thefrequency, or frequency band, that the power amplifier 904 is configuredto amplify or process. However, the metamaterial output matching circuit1004 may be configured to have an impedance mismatch with the impedanceat the port 1014 for frequencies that differ from the frequency orfrequency band f₁. In particular, the metamaterial output matchingcircuit 1004 may be configured to have an impedance mismatch with theimpedance at the port 1014 when the frequency of a signal received atthe antenna 812 is f₂, or is within the frequency band associated withf₂.

When the impedance at the port 1014 matches the impedance of themetamaterial output matching circuit 1004, a signal may flow through thesignal path that connects the power amplifier 904 to the antenna 812.When there is an impedance mismatch between the port 1014 and themetamaterial output matching circuit 1004, the communication of a signalthrough the signal path that connects the power amplifier 904 to theantenna 812 may be reduced or prevented depending on the level or amountof mismatch of the impedance. Thus, as the impedance of the metamaterialoutput matching circuit 1004 moves towards Do, or as the mismatchbetween the impedance of the transmission line at the port 1014 and themetamaterial output matching circuit 1004 grows, the signal is reducedand/or blocked from the power amplifier 904. Accordingly, themetamaterial output matching circuit 1004 may enable the flow of asignal with the frequency f₁ and block a signal with the frequency f₂.

The low noise amplifier circuit 906 may include similar elements and maybe configured similarly to the power amplifier 904, but with respect topermitting signals of frequency f₂ and blocking signals of frequency f₁.The low noise amplifier circuit 906 may be configured to amplify signalsof a frequency, or within a frequency band, f₂. While typically thepower amplifier 904 amplifies signals for transmission, the low noiseamplifier 906 may amplify a received signal to facilitate processing bya transceiver or other elements within a receive signal path. The lownoise amplifier 906 may include amplifier circuitry 1008. This amplifiercircuitry 1008 may include one or more transistors configured to amplifya signal. Further, the amplifier circuit 1008 may include a directcurrent biasing network for biasing one or more transistors of the lownoise amplifier. The one or more transistors may be field-effecttransistors (FETs). Alternatively, the one or more transistors mayinclude any other type of transistor that may be used to form a lownoise amplifier, such as bipolar junction transistors.

In addition, the low noise amplifier 906 includes a metamaterial inputmatching circuit 1010 and an output matching circuit 1012. The outputmatching circuit 1012 may be configured to match an impedance of the lownoise amplifier 906 with an impedance of a circuit element connected tothe low noise amplifier 906 at the output of the low noise amplifier 906(e.g., port 1020). Further, the output matching circuit 1012 can includeany type of non-metamaterial matching circuit. For example, the outputmatching circuit 1012 may include a switch-capacitor based matchingcircuit, an inductor-capacitor (LC) matching circuit, or any other typeof matching circuit. Further, in some cases, the output matching circuit1012 may be replaced with a metamaterial matching circuit. In somecases, the output matching circuit 1012 and the input matching circuit1006 may be of the same type or configuration.

The metamaterial input matching circuit 1010 may be configured to matchan impedance of the low noise amplifier 906 to an impedance of theantenna 812 (not shown) or to an impedance at the port 1016, which maybe connected via a signal path to the antenna 812. The metamaterialinput matching circuit 1010 may be configured to match the impedance ata particular frequency, or frequency band, f₂ corresponding to thefrequency, or frequency band, that the low noise amplifier 906 isconfigured to amplify or process. However, the metamaterial inputmatching circuit 1010 may be configured to have an impedance mismatchwith the impedance at the port 1016 for frequencies that differ from thefrequency or frequency band f₂. In particular, the metamaterial inputmatching circuit 1010 may be configured to have an impedance mismatchwith the impedance at the port 1016 when the frequency of a signalreceived at the antenna 812 is f₁, or is within the frequency bandassociated with f₁.

When the impedance at the port 1016 matches the impedance of themetamaterial input matching circuit 1010, a signal may flow through thesignal path that connects the low noise amplifier 906 to the antenna812. When there is an impedance mismatch between the port 1016 and themetamaterial input matching circuit 1010, the communication of a signalthrough the signal path that connects the low noise amplifier 906 to theantenna 812 may be reduced or prevented depending on the level or amountof mismatch of the impedance. Thus, as the impedance of the metamaterialinput matching circuit 1010 moves towards Do, or as the mismatch betweenthe impedance of the transmission line at the port 1016 and themetamaterial input matching circuit 1010 grows, the signal is reducedand/or blocked from the low noise amplifier 906. Accordingly, themetamaterial input matching circuit 1010 may enable the flow of a signalwith the frequency f₂ and block a signal with the frequency f₁.

As the metamaterial output matching circuit 1004 permits the flow ofsignals with a frequency f₁ while blocking signals with a frequency f₂,and as the metamaterial input matching circuit 1010 permits the flow ofsignals with a frequency f₂ while blocking signals with a frequency f₁,the combination of the circuits 904 and 906 provide the functionality ofa duplexer without including the circuitry of a duplexer, therebyreducing space and cost compared to systems that incorporate a passiveduplexer. The metamaterial output matching circuit 1004 and themetamaterial input matching circuit 1010 may include any type ofmetamaterial circuit. A metamaterial circuit can generally include anycircuit made from an electromagnetic metamaterial. A metamaterial maygenerally include a deliberately engineered artificial effectivelyhomogenous electromagnetic structure that is not found in nature. Thesemetamaterials may include unusual properties not found in naturalmaterials. For example, metamaterials may include negative permittivityand negative permeability. The negative permittivity and negativepermeability of some metamaterials may result in the occurrence of oneor more unusual phenomena not typically found in other materials. Forexample, the negative permittivity and negative permeability of somemetamaterials may cause the occurrence of negative phase velocity,negative refraction, or a reversal of the Doppler Effect, among otherphenomena.

Typically, the homogenous structure of the metamaterial includes anaverage cell size that is smaller than a wavelength of a target signal(e.g., with a smaller wavelength than signals of a frequency f₁ or f₂processed by the power amplifier 904 or the low noise amplifier 906).The material or structure of the metamaterial is typically arranged in arepeating pattern. Further, the metamaterial may be formed from anarrangement of metal structures on a surface of a dielectric substrate.FIGS. 17A-17C illustrate some non-limiting examples of metamaterialstructures. As illustrated in FIG. 17A, a double-negative (DNG)metamaterial may be formed by combining metallic rods of a thinwire-based epsilon negative (ENG) structure with split ring resonatorsof a mu-negative (MNG) metamaterial. FIG. 17B illustrates one exampleimplementation of the DNG metamaterial of FIG. 17A with planar splitring resonators etched on a thin dielectric layer positioned behindmetallic rods. FIG. 17C illustrates another example implementation ofthe DNG metamaterial of FIG. 17A with split ring resonators etched onone side of the dielectric layer and with planar strips etched on theother side of the dielectric layer.

In some cases, any semiconductor material used for creating a circuitmay be used to create a metamaterial. For example, the metamaterial maybe formed or created from gallium arsenide or silicon. In some cases,the metamaterial circuit may be formed as a transmission line or as alumped element of a transmission line. Advantageously, the metamaterialtransmission line may have multiband characteristics. In contrast, an LCcircuit used for matching typically only has single band characteristicsand not multiband characteristics. Thus, the use of metamaterial designsfor the transmission lines may provide support for multibandcommunication using the active duplexer 900.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a transmission-line based example of theactive duplexer 900 of FIG. 9 in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure. As previously described, the metamaterial outputmatching circuit 1004 and the metamaterial input matching circuit 1010may be formed from a metamaterial transmission line. In someimplementations, the metamaterial output matching circuit 1004 may beformed from a pair of metamaterial transmission lines 1102, 1104. Themetamaterial transmission line 1104 may be connected as a stub with oneend of the metamaterial transmission line 1104 connected between themetamaterial transmission line 1102 and an output port 1014 of the poweramplifier 904. The metamaterial transmission line 1102 may be connectedbetween one or more transistors of the amplifier circuitry 1002 and theoutput port 1014. Some example implementations of the metamaterialtransmission lines 1102, 1104 are described below with respect to FIG.12. The metamaterial output matching circuit 1004 may be a dual-bandmatching circuit designed to provide different impedance matching valuesfor two different frequency bands. As previously described, themetamaterial output matching circuit 1004 may be designed to permit theflow or transmission of signals of a first frequency band f₁ whilepreventing the flow or transmission of signals of a second frequencyband f₂ along a signal path that includes the power amplifier 904.

The non-metamaterial input matching circuit 1006 may be formed from asimilar construction of transmission lines as the metamaterial outputmatching circuit 1004. However, unlike the metamaterial output matchingcircuit 1004, the transmission lines 1106, 1108 of the input matchingcircuit 1006 may be non-metamaterial based transmission lines. Incertain implementations, the input matching circuit 1006 may be formedby a first non-metamaterial transmission line 1106 connected between oneor more transistors of the amplifier circuitry 1002 and the input port1018 of the power amplifier 904. Further, the input matching circuit1006 may include a second non-metamaterial transmission line 1108connected as a stub with one end connected between the non-metamaterialtransmission line 1106 and the input port 1018 of the power amplifier904.

Similar to the metamaterial output matching circuit 1004, themetamaterial input matching circuit 1010 may be formed from a pair ofmetamaterial transmission lines 1110, 1112 connected between theamplifier circuitry 1008 of the low noise amplifier 906 and the inputport 1016 of the low noise amplifier 906. The metamaterial transmissionline 1112 may be connected as a stub with one end of the metamaterialtransmission line 1112 connected between the metamaterial transmissionline 1110 and an input port 1016 of the low noise amplifier 906. Themetamaterial transmission line 1110 may be connected between one or moretransistors of the amplifier circuitry 1008 and the input port 1016.Some example implementations of the metamaterial transmission lines1110, 1112 are described below with respect to FIG. 12. The metamaterialinput matching circuit 1010 may be a dual-band matching circuit designedto provide different impedance matching values for two differentfrequency bands. As previously described, the metamaterial inputmatching circuit 1010 may be designed to prevent the flow ortransmission of signals of a first frequency band f₁ while permittingthe flow or transmission of signals of a second frequency band f₂ alonga signal path that includes the low noise amplifier 906.

The non-metamaterial output matching circuit 1012 may be formed from asimilar construction of transmission lines as the metamaterial inputmatching circuit 1010. However, unlike the metamaterial input matchingcircuit 1010, the transmission lines 1114, 1118 of the output matchingcircuit 1012 may be non-metamaterial based transmission lines. Incertain implementations, the output matching circuit 1012 may be formedby a first non-metamaterial transmission line 1114 connected between oneor more transistors of the amplifier circuitry 1008 and the output port1020 of the low noise amplifier 906. Further, the output matchingcircuit 1012 may include a second non-metamaterial transmission line1116 connected as a stub with one end connected between thenon-metamaterial transmission line 1114 and the output port 1020 of thelow noise amplifier 904. The single stub-matching circuits may be formedfrom a transmission line, or a trace, that lacks any lumped elements. Incontrast, as illustrated below with respect to FIG. 12, the metamaterialtransmission lines may include two or more LC circuits that can providemetamaterial characteristics.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of an example metamaterial transmissionline 1200 included in certain aspects of the active duplexer 900 of FIG.11 in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. Theexample metamaterial transmission line 1200 may be used to implement anyone or more of the metamaterial transmission lines 1102, 1104, 1110,1112.

The metamaterial transmission line 1200 may be a lumped elementtransmission line formed from a pair of Inductor-Capacitor (LC) circuits1202, 1204. In some embodiments, the metamaterial transmission line 1200may be formed from a combination of transmission lines (or conductivelines) and lumped elements (e.g., LC circuits) within one or moreportions of the transmission line. Alternatively, in some embodimentsthe metamaterial transmission line 1200 may be formed from just lumpedelements. Whether the metamaterial transmission line 1200 is formed froma combination of transmission lines and lumped elements, or from justlumped elements may depend on the particular application for thecircuit.

The LC circuit 1202 may include a right-handed inductor in series with aleft-handed capacitor. Further, the LC circuit 1204 may include aright-handed capacitor connected in parallel with a left-handedinductor. The LC circuits 1202 and 1204 may be lumped element circuitsthat may be configured to provide metamaterial characteristics. In otherwords, in some embodiments, the lumped element LC circuits 1202 and 1204may be configured to provide negative permittivity and negativepermeability. While a conventional transmission line may providematching, the metamaterial transmission line formed from the LC circuits1202 and 1204 may provide a multifunctional structure that includesprovide both matching and isolation characteristics. These isolationcharacteristics may be improved over the non-metamaterial transmissionline structures. These isolation characteristics may provide isolationfrom the second communication line. In other words, isolation betweenthe signal path with the power amplifier 904 and the signal path withthe low noise amplifier 906 can be achieved without the addition of aseparate duplexer (e.g., a passive duplexer).

FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate another example of a metamaterialtransmission line that can be used with respect to the embodimentsdisclosed herein. FIG. 18A illustrates a circuit diagram 1800 of adouble-Lorentz (DL) metamaterial transmission line. FIG. 18B illustratesa line drawing reproduction of a photograph of an implementation of thecircuit represented by the circuit diagram of FIG. 18A. The circledportions 1802 and 1804 of the circuit diagram 1800 are represented bymicrostrip transmission lines 1812 and 1814, respectively. The remainingLC circuits of the circuit diagram 1800 are represented by the lumpedelements depicted in the example of FIG. 18B. The illustrated circuit1800 may, in some embodiments, be used as an alternative to themetamaterial transmission line 1200. The specific values of the LCcircuits and the specific configuration of the microstrip transmissionlines 1812 and 1814 may be selected based on the desired signalfrequencies to permit and the signal frequencies to block for thespecific user case. When an undesired signal frequency is received, theselected LC circuits and the specific configuration of the microstriptransmission lines may provide infinite impedance. In certainembodiments, the specific configuration and values selected for the LCcircuits of the circuit 1800, or the circuit 1200, may be selected toemulate properties or provide the properties of a metamaterial includingthe negative permittivity and negative permeability of the metamaterial.In other words, in some embodiments, the LC circuits may be designed tosimulate metamaterials and/or the properties of metamaterials. Bycausing the LC circuits to emulate or provide the characteristics of themetamaterial, it is possible to cause the PA signal path to permit afirst particular frequency or set of frequencies while blocking a secondfrequency or set of frequencies. Similarly, the LNA single path may beconfigured to block the first particular frequency or set of frequencieswhile permitting a second frequency or set of frequencies. Thus, the useof the metamaterial, or the transmission line and LC circuit combinationconfigured to emulate a metamaterial enables the matching circuit toprovide duplexer functionality without the addition of a separatepassive duplexer. Further, the specific L and C values in the circuit1200 illustrated in FIG. 12 may be selected or determined using thefollowing equations:

$\begin{matrix}{L_{R} = \frac{Z_{t}\left\lbrack {{\varnothing_{1}\left( {\omega_{1}/\omega_{2}} \right)} - \varnothing_{2}} \right\rbrack}{N{\omega_{2}\left\lbrack {1 - \left( {\omega_{1}/\omega_{2}} \right)^{2}} \right\rbrack}}} & (1) \\{C_{R} = \frac{{\varnothing_{1}\left( {\omega_{1}/\omega_{2}} \right)} - \varnothing_{2}}{\omega_{2}{Z_{t}\left\lbrack {1 - \left( {\omega_{1}/\omega_{2}} \right)^{2}} \right\rbrack}}} & (2) \\{L_{L} = \frac{N{Z_{t}\left\lbrack {1 - \left( {\omega_{1}/\omega_{2}} \right)^{2}} \right\rbrack}}{\omega_{1}\left\lbrack {{\varnothing_{1}\left( {\omega_{1}/\omega_{2}} \right)} - \varnothing_{2}} \right\rbrack}} & (3) \\{C_{L} = \frac{N\left\lbrack {1 - \left( {\omega_{1}/\omega_{2}} \right)^{2}} \right\rbrack}{\omega_{1}{Z_{t}\left\lbrack {{\varnothing_{1}\left( {\omega_{1}/\omega_{2}} \right)} - \varnothing_{2}} \right\rbrack}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

In the above equations, ϕ₁ represents the phase shift at frequency ω₁and ϕ₂ represents the phase shift at frequency ω₂. Further, N representsthe number of CRLH (composite right/left handed) cells with each CRLHcell being formed from the transmission line circuit 1200 illustrated inFIG. 12. And Z_(t) represents the terminal impedance. The L_(R), C_(R),L_(L), and C_(L) represent the left-handed and right-handed inductorsand capacitors of the CRLH cell illustrated in FIG. 12. Further, the Zand Yin FIG. 12 refers to the impedance and admittance values.

Active Duplexer Circuit Simulations

FIG. 13 presents simulation results for an example of the activeduplexer 900. For the simulation, the frequency f₁ supported by thepower amplifier was set to 1.9 GHz and the frequency f₂ supported by thelow noise amplifier was set to 2.6 GHz. Further, the power amplifier wasset to provide a gain of more than 15 dB with a power added efficiencyof more than 55%. The low noise amplifier was set to also provide a gainof more than 15 dB with a noise figure below 2.0. Both devices wereconfigured with an input/output return loss of greater than 10 dB.During simulation, the leakage from the power amplifier input to the LNAoutput was less than −60 dB. Thus, the simulation shows that theconfiguration of the power amplifier and low noise amplifier using theaspects of the present disclosure enable the functionality of aduplexer. In other words, signal from the power amplifier is preventedfrom traversing a communication path including the low noise amplifier,and signal received at the antenna is prevented from traversing acommunication path including the power amplifier.

As illustrated herein (e.g., in FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 13), the LNA inputand the PA output may both be physically connected to the antenna, butonly one may be electrically connected. The active duplexer of thepresent disclosure prevents signal leakage between the transmit and thereceive paths (e.g., between the PA and LNA paths, between the PA inputand LNA output, and/or between the LNA input and the PA output). If theactive duplexer was not functional, there would exist leakage betweenthe ports 2 and 3 of FIG. 13. The use of the metamaterial providesisolation on both the input and output side of the active duplexer, orthe front-end module that includes the active duplexer. This leakage canalso occur due to proximity of the signal lines causing signal coupling.However, using the embodiments of the active duplexer of the presentdisclosure, the receive signal can be blocked on the transmit line andvice versa, and the leakage can be reduced or eliminated.

FIG. 14 presents graphs of simulation results for the low noiseamplifier of the active duplexer simulated in FIG. 13. As illustrated bythe graph 1408, when the frequency of the signal received by the activeduplexer is 1.9 GHz (the frequency supported by the power amplifier inthe simulation), the input impedance approaches infinity for the lownoise amplifier. Thus, a signal output by the power amplifier at around1.9 GHz will be output by the antenna at port 1 of the active duplexerof FIG. 13, but will not be provided to the input of the low noiseamplifier. Further, as indicated by the graph 1406, the noise figurearound 2.6 GHz (the frequency supported by the low noise amplifier inthe simulation) is close to 0 (1.254). Moreover, the graph 1402indicates that at 2.6 GHz, the S21 transmission characteristic is around16 dB and the graph 1404 indicates stability above 1 at 2.6 GHzindicating that the low noise amplifier is working and stable at thetarget frequency.

FIG. 15 presents graphs of simulation results for the power amplifier ofthe active duplexer simulated in FIG. 13. Similar to the graph 1408, thegraph 1504 indicates that when the frequency of the signal received bythe active duplexer is 2.6 GHz (the frequency supported by the low noiseamplifier in the simulation), the input impedance approaches infinityfor the power amplifier. Thus, a signal received by the low noiseamplifier at around 2.6 GHz will not travel the transmission orcommunication path that includes the power amplifier. Further, the graph1502 indicates that at 1.9 GHz, the S21 transmission characteristic isaround 17 dB indicating that the power amplifier is working at thetarget frequency.

FIG. 16 presents graphs of simulation results for the active duplexersimulated in FIG. 13. Similar to the graphs presenting the simulationsof the power amplifier and low noise amplifier, the graph 1602 indicatesgood transmission characteristics (e.g., above 16 dB) for thetransmission paths of the power amplifier at 1.9 GHz and the low noiseamplifier at 2.6 GHz. Further, the graph 1604 indicates that the lownoise amplifier maintains its low noise figure (e.g., around 1.273) at2.6 GHz when incorporated into the active duplexer with the poweramplifier. Further, the graph 1606 indicates isolation between the poweramplifier and low noise amplifier of −63 dB at the power amplifiersupported frequency of 1.9 GHz. Accordingly, simulations of aspects ofthe active duplexer presented herein indicated that the passive duplexercan be replaced in a front-end module and/or transceiver by usingmetamaterials for the impedance matching circuits of the PA and LNA.Thus, the size of the front-end module and/or transceiver can be reducedwhile insertion loss can be reduced by replacing the passive duplexerwith an active duplexer.

Terminology

Any of the embodiments described above can be implemented in associationwith mobile devices such as cellular handsets. The principles andadvantages of the embodiments can be used for any systems or apparatus,such as any uplink wireless communication device, that could benefitfrom any of the embodiments described herein. The teachings herein areapplicable to a variety of systems. Although this disclosure includesexample embodiments, the teachings described herein can be applied to avariety of structures. Any of the principles and advantages discussedherein can be implemented in association with RF circuits configured toprocess signals having a frequency in a range from about 30 kHz to 300GHz, such as in a frequency range from about 450 MHz to 8.5 GHz.Acoustic wave filters disclosed herein can filter RF signals atfrequencies up to and including millimeter wave frequencies.

Aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in various electronicdevices. Examples of the electronic devices can include, but are notlimited to, consumer electronic products, parts of the consumerelectronic products such as packaged radio frequency modules, radiofrequency filter die, uplink wireless communication devices, wirelesscommunication infrastructure, electronic test equipment, etc. Examplesof the electronic devices can include, but are not limited to, a mobilephone such as a smart phone, a wearable computing device such as a smartwatch or an ear piece, a telephone, a television, a computer monitor, acomputer, a modem, a hand-held computer, a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a microwave, a refrigerator, a vehicular electronics systemsuch as an automotive electronics system, a robot such as an industrialrobot, an Internet of things device, a stereo system, a digital musicplayer, a radio, a camera such as a digital camera, a portable memorychip, a home appliance such as a washer or a dryer, a peripheral device,a wrist watch, a clock, etc. Further, the electronic devices can includeunfinished products.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, throughout the description andthe claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including”and the like are to generally be construed in an inclusive sense, asopposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in thesense of “including, but not limited to.” Conditional language usedherein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,”“for example,” “such as” and the like, unless specifically statedotherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, isgenerally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, whileother embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/orstates. The word “coupled”, as generally used herein, refers to two ormore elements that may be either directly connected, or connected by wayof one or more intermediate elements. Likewise, the word “connected”, asgenerally used herein, refers to two or more elements that may be eitherdirectly connected, or connected by way of one or more intermediateelements. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and wordsof similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to thisapplication as a whole and not to any particular portions of thisapplication. Where the context permits, words in the above DetailedDescription using the singular or plural number may also include theplural or singular number respectively.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel resonators, filters,multiplexer, devices, modules, wireless communication devices,apparatus, methods, and systems described herein may be embodied in avariety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutionsand changes in the form of the resonators, filters, multiplexer,devices, modules, wireless communication devices, apparatus, methods,and systems described herein may be made without departing from thespirit of the disclosure. For example, while blocks are presented in agiven arrangement, alternative embodiments may perform similarfunctionalities with different components and/or circuit topologies, andsome blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/ormodified. Each of these blocks may be implemented in a variety ofdifferent ways. Any suitable combination of the elements and/or acts ofthe various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. The accompanying claims and their equivalents areintended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within thescope and spirit of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power amplifier module comprising: one or morepower amplifier transistors configured to amplify a first signal of afirst frequency to obtain a first amplified signal; and a metamaterialoutput matching circuit connected between the one or more poweramplifier transistors and an antenna, the metamaterial output matchingcircuit configured to present a first impedance value to the antennawhen receiving signals of the first frequency and to present a secondimpedance value to the antenna when receiving signals of a secondfrequency.
 2. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein themetamaterial output matching circuit includes a metamaterialtransmission line.
 3. The power amplifier module of claim 1 wherein themetamaterial output matching circuit includes a first metamaterialtransmission line connected between a transistor of the one or morepower amplifier transistors and the antenna, and a second metamaterialtransmission line connected to the first metamaterial transmission lineas a stub.
 4. The power amplifier module of claim 1 further comprising anon-metamaterial input matching circuit.
 5. The power amplifier moduleof claim 4 wherein the non-metamaterial input matching circuit includesa first non-metamaterial transmission line connected between atransistor of the one or more power amplifier transistors and an inputport, and a second non-metamaterial transmission line connected to thefirst non-metamaterial transmission line as a stub.
 6. The poweramplifier module of claim 1 wherein the metamaterial output matchingcircuit includes a material with a periodic structure.
 7. The poweramplifier module of claim 1 wherein the metamaterial output matchingcircuit includes a lumped element circuit.
 8. The power amplifier moduleof claim 1 wherein the first impedance value permits transmission of thefirst amplified signal to the antenna.
 9. The power amplifier module ofclaim 1 wherein the second impedance value prevents transmission of thesignals of the second frequency to the antenna.
 10. The power amplifiermodule of claim 1 wherein the power amplifier module in combination witha low noise amplifier circuit that includes a metamaterial inputmatching circuit forms a duplexer.
 11. The power amplifier module ofclaim 10 wherein the duplexer is formed without the inclusion of apassive duplexer circuit.
 12. A front-end module comprising: a poweramplifier module including a power amplifier transistor and ametamaterial output matching circuit connected between the poweramplifier transistor and an antenna, the power amplifier transistorconfigured to amplify a first signal of a first frequency to obtain afirst amplified signal, the metamaterial output matching circuitconfigured to present a first impedance value to the antenna whenreceiving signals of the first frequency and to present a secondimpedance value to the antenna when receiving signals of a secondfrequency; and a switching circuit configured to switch a signal pathbetween the power amplifier module and a low noise amplifier circuit.13. The front-end module of claim 12 wherein the metamaterial outputmatching circuit includes a first metamaterial transmission lineconnected between the power amplifier transistor and the antenna, and asecond metamaterial transmission line connected to the firstmetamaterial transmission line as a stub.
 14. The front-end module ofclaim 12 wherein the power amplifier module further includes anon-metamaterial input matching circuit.
 15. The front-end module ofclaim 14 wherein the non-metamaterial input matching circuit includes afirst non-metamaterial transmission line connected between the poweramplifier transistor and an input port of the power amplifier module,and a second non-metamaterial transmission line connected to the firstnon-metamaterial transmission line as a stub.
 16. The front-end moduleof claim 12 wherein the metamaterial output matching circuit includes atleast one of a material with a periodic structure or a lumped elementcircuit.
 17. The front-end module of claim 12 wherein the firstimpedance value permits transmission of the first amplified signal tothe antenna and the second impedance value prevents transmission of thesignals of the second frequency to the antenna.
 18. The front-end moduleof claim 12 further comprising a low noise amplifier circuit including ametamaterial input matching circuit.
 19. The front-end module of claim12 wherein a combination of the power amplifier module and the low noiseamplifier circuit form a duplexer without the inclusion of separateduplexer circuitry.
 20. A wireless device comprising: an antennaconfigured to receive or transmit signals of different frequencies; anda power amplifier module including a power amplifier transistor and ametamaterial output matching circuit connected between the poweramplifier transistor and the antenna, the power amplifier transistorconfigured to amplify a first signal of a first frequency to obtain afirst amplified signal, the metamaterial output matching circuitconfigured to present a first impedance value to the antenna whenreceiving signals of the first frequency and to present a secondimpedance value to the antenna when receiving signals of a secondfrequency, the power amplifier module in combination with a low noiseamplifier circuit forming a duplexer without the inclusion of separateduplexer circuitry.